New Year, New Snacks

New Year, fresh start. If you are looking for changes in your life for 2016, switching from unhealthy snacks to healthy ones can be a great move. No more chips, candy, chocolate or anything high in sugar and low in nutrition. Go nuts, literally, as these natural, nutritional powerhouses are loaded with vitamins, minerals, protein and healthy fats.

Considered by many the best nuts for your diet, pistachios, almonds, walnuts and cashews are loaded with a perfect combination of vitamins, protein, fiber and the important healthy fatty acids (omega-3s). All nuts are about equal in terms of calories per ounce, and as long as you eat them in moderation, all nuts are healthy foods. Almonds are low in calories with only about 150 per ounce and pistachios have also the same amount of calories with only about 160 per ounce. The only red flag is some nuts’ amount of fat and calories if you are starting, or you are on a weight-loss diet. Macadamia nuts and pecans reach as much as 200 calories per ounce, but even that is not considered a very high amount of calories for snacks.

On the other hand, if you are not counting calories some nuts can be an excellent addition to your diet. For example, Brazil nuts are rich in mono-unsaturated fats and selenium and both of these compounds help prevent coronary artery disease by lowering LDL cholesterol levels. Additionally, walnuts are considered the best nuts for your heart. Walnuts contain heart-healthy omega-3 fats as well as high amounts of alpha linolenic acid (ALA), known to promote a variety of health benefits.